Writing

Loving the unlovely
5/15/2008 7:31:52 PM by: Elsi

At the 2008 Colorado Christian Writers Conference, I am participating in a class on “Communicating to Change Lives.” Jim Watkins, the instructor, was talking this morning about benefits of post-modern thinking; for example, there’s an openness to spiritual discussions that makes it easier for Christians to explain their beliefs.

In the course of this, he mentioned his surprise when he heard a newscaster refer to the Virginia Tech shooter as “evil.” Jim applauded that we’re no longer saying, in effect, “Oh, whatever you believe is fine.”

A guy a few rows back brought up Columbine—he had coached one of the victims and knew the boy’s father. “Those two shooters were flat-out evil,” he said. “Beyond redemption!”

“They were just hurt kids,” I interrupted. “They had been hurt, and they hurt others, and what they did was evil. But they’re only beyond redemption because they’re now dead.”

He ignored me and continued, “Someone put up 15 crosses in honor of the Columbine dead. And some good guys came in and tore two of them down, because those shooters, those two, whoever they were, they …”

“Eric and Dylan,” I said loudly. “Eric and Dylan. They have names! They were people!”

After a pause, Jim went on with his presentation.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).